Recently, there has been increasing interest in minimally invasive and percutaneous replacement of cardiac valves. In the context of pulmonary valve replacement, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0199971 A1 and 2003/0199963 A1, both filed by Tower, et al., describe a valved segment of bovine jugular vein, mounted within an expandable stent, for use as a replacement pulmonary valve. The replacement valve is mounted on a balloon catheter and delivered percutaneously via the vascular system to the location of the failed pulmonary valve and expanded by the balloon to compress the valve leaflets against the right ventricular outflow tract, anchoring and sealing the replacement valve. As described in the articles: Percutaneous Insertion of the Pulmonary Valve, Bonhoeffer, et al., Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2002; 39: 1664-1669 and Transcatheter Replacement of a Bovine Valve in Pulmonary Position, Bonhoeffer, et al., Circulation 2000; 102: 813-816, the replacement pulmonary valve may be implanted to replace native pulmonary valves or prosthetic pulmonary valves located in valved conduits. Surgical procedures for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation are described in Khambadkone et al., Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation in Humans, Circulation, Pp. 1189-1197 (Aug. 23, 2005).
Other implantables and implant delivery devices are disclosed in published U.S. Patent Application No. 2003-0036791-A1 and European Patent Application No. 1 057 460-A1.